What do you call that sweet, syrupy goodness in the aluminum can or plastic bottle? When you see it squirting out of the fountain and splashing into your cup as it coats the ice cubes, do think, “I can’t wait to drink this pop.” Or do you think, “Man, this soda looks good.”
Well, calling a sugary, caffeinated drink either a pop, soda or a Coke depends on where you live.
Research has been done, and as the chart below shows, the part of the country you grew up in is most likely to indicate the term you use based upon the regional dialect of your area.
This is really fascinating stuff, and it seems the research is continuing. Over at popvssoda.com, they are accepting submissions to a survey.
What do you call it?
Personally, I grew up referring to it as pop, but I am more fond of the term soda or soda-pop. To each his own, I guess.
